What Friends are For
by Canon Archives
Summary: Heather and Dagur receive the news... Post Hidden World: a look at Berk's immediate aftermath in the week following the movie from the perspective of our two favorite Berserkers. Spoilers!
1. Chapter 1

**The first thing that needs to happen after The Hidden World is someone needs to inform the extended family! Here are Heather and Dagur's reactions to the sad news...**

* * *

A trading ship arrived at Berserker island, and people swarmed to the dock to see the new goods. Heather, Chieftess of the Berserkers, went to greet the trader as well. Her brother Dagur, who was there visiting his sister, followed close behind.

"An important message for Cheiftess Heather, from a land just West of here," the trader said, handing her a scroll. "A village called New Berk."

"_New_ Berk?" Heather asked in confusion. She took the scroll and opened it.

"What does it say, sister?" Dagur asked.

As Heather read over the scroll, her eyes widened and she suddenly gasped.

"What is it?" Dagur insisted. "Is it Hiccup?"

Heather looked at her brother and nodded slowly. Her face was pale. "It's the dragons," she breathed. "They left. _All _of them left."

"Well where did they go?" Dagur asked. "_How_ could Hiccup go on an adventure without _me?_ Without his _brother?"_

"_No_," Heather shook her head. "The dragons left _Berk_, Dagur," she clarified. "This says that the Berkians moved to a new island in the West, and the dragons disappeared to a Hidden World."

"_Berk_ without _dragons?_" Dagur laughed his loud, Berserker laugh. "_Hiccup_ without his _dragon?_" He laughed even louder.

"Dagur…" Heather murmured gravely.

"That can't be right," he abruptly stopped laughing and grabbed the scroll urgently, reading it over himself.

Dagur looked at his sister and they exchanged pressing, significant looks.

"Prepare us a ship!" Heather ordered, running to the dock. "Quickly!"

* * *

Heather and Dagur were the best friends that Hiccup and Astrid could ask for. After the Drago fiasco, when they'd heard about Stoick's death, the Berserker siblings had rushed to Berk to console the new Chief. They had stayed for a week, just being around to assist Hiccup in adjusting to his new role.

It was not long after that that Heather had parted ways with her own dragon, Windshear. The Razorwhip had grown old enough to mate, and had set off to Wingmaiden island to have babies of her own. It was a very sad goodbye for Heather, but it was always comforting to know that her good friend was only a few islands away. Dagur had let his dragons go a few years back after he married Mala and became King of the Defenders of the Wing. Shattermaster and Sleuther had gone to live on Berk, in what Dagur called Hiccup's "dragon paradise resort."

Neither Dagur nor Heather had ever dreamed that Hiccup would let his dragons go. He was the leader of the Dragon Riders, the Dragon Savior, the infamous Dragon Master. It was absurd to think of him without his Night Fury.

Now, the siblings approached a large, very green island in their boat, with the Berserker colors waving in the wind. They could see a small village at the top of a hill in the distance. It looked nothing like Berk. This village looked so incredibly ordinary, it was hard to believe that this was really the island they were looking for.

"Is that it?" Dagur frowned. Heather had been thinking the same thing. It looked like not much more than a few partly-built huts and tents. Nothing that seemed permanent.

But then, there were several areas that looked to be in progress of creating bigger structures further down the hill. "It's a new village," Heather responded to her brother. "They are probably doing a lot of construction still."

The vibe of the place certainly didn't reflect anything… _happy_, that's for sure. In fact, it seemed like there was a kind of heavy sadness hanging in the air. The Berserkers became uneasy as they got closer, dreading what they would find.

Their boat reached a sandy beach. It looked like the villagers had begun to form a docking port, but it wasn't completed yet. As Heather and Dagur disembarked, they saw Hiccup and Astrid coming down the beach to greet them.

"Brother!" Dagur exclaimed. They both ran to embrace their friends.

Dagur pulled Hiccup into one of his tight, brotherly hugs. He was immediately struck by how little resistance the younger Viking put up, and how delicate he seemed. Dagur lessened his grip. "It's good to see you, brother," he said genuinely, before letting go.

If Dagur were being honest, Hiccup looked awful. Worse than when Stoick died. The young man was certainly trying hard to put on a brave face and to appear like a Chief, but Dagur knew his little brother better than that. The boy had never been good at hiding anything on his face. It rang loud and clear. Hiccup had gone completely flat.

"We came as soon as we got the news," Heather was murmuring quietly to Astrid, as the girls pulled out of a hug as well.

Dagur watched Hiccup worriedly. "Breathe, Hiccup," he said, shaking his shoulders. "I'm not squeezing you anymore, you can breathe!"

Hiccup inhaled, and forced a small laugh.

"_There_ you go!" Dagur cheered. "He's breathing folks! He's still breathing!"

"I'm glad you're here, Dagur," Hiccup told the Berserker with a smile.

"Of _course_ I'm here!" Dagur agreed. "What kind of brother would I be if I wasn't?" He threw his arm around the younger man's shoulder. "Now. Tell me about this _New_ Berk. I bet you have lots of fancy, _Hiccupy_ plans in store for your new village!"

"Well, now that you mention it, the Great Hall is going to have some pretty cool additions…."

The brothers made their way back up the hill towards the town.

Heather was watching Astrid. The young Chieftess-to-be had a worried frown on her face that looked like she had been stressing for too many days in a row. The girl clearly had not been sleeping enough.

"Is it really as bad as it looks?" Heather asked sympathetically.

Astrid sighed. "It's been pretty rough, yeah," she admitted. "We're getting by, so far. Keeping spirits high has never been so much work."

"You can show me the new village later," Heather suggested. "Where's the best place to throw an axe on this new island?"

Astrid grinned at her friend, and pulled her own axe out of the sleeve strapped to her back. "Follow me."

And the two young women wandered off in the opposite direction.

* * *

**Oh no… now you're all gonna want me to continue this… I can't make any promises, sorry. I just wanted to show their immediate reactions. So for now I'm gonna say this is all you're gonna get. If I think of more I will add more.**

**Please leave a review to tell me how you liked it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**You lucky ducks! I'm turning this into a three-chapter story!**

**By the way, all of this is happening only about a week after. So, as you probably can tell, it's all really fresh still. Heather and Dagur are gonna work some magic on their friends in this chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

Astrid flung her axe at a tree.

"Everyone misses them," she told Heather.

Heather threw her axe, and Astrid yanked hers out of the splintered wood.

"I miss Stormfly, _so_ much," she confessed, her voice cracking. She flung her axe again, and it hit its mark. "Do you _know_ how many times I have stood at the edge of a cliffside in the past week," she continued, grabbing her weapon again, "and thought I could just jump off, because she'd be there to catch me?" Tears were filling her eyes. Heather aimed her axe at the tree and hit the same spot as before. "I wake up every morning and think, 'what a great morning for a flight,' only to remember that I _can't_ – " Astrid threw her axe, and it missed. "I mean, do you realize that I am _never _going to be able to touch the clouds again?" the girl cried, turning to Heather.

Heather stopped throwing and watched her friend, wide-eyed. She had never seen Astrid break down like this before.

"And that's not even the worst part of all this!" Astrid sobbed. "I'm – I'm _losing _him, Heather," she said, choking. "Hiccup – he – I look at him, and I don't even recognize him anymore!" She collapsed to the ground in hard sobs. "Have you _seen?_" she asked desperately. "His face – it's like – it's like I'm watching him die a slow, painful death. It scares me! I _look_ and _look_ and most of the time, I can't find a _trace_ of the man I fell in love with – and – and – "

Heather sat on the ground next to Astrid and wrapped her arms around her in a hug. "Yes, I saw," Heather murmured gently.

Astrid was sobbing and sobbing. Heather rocked her back and forth in her arms. This was so much worse than Heather had realized. Astrid was really in need of a friend right now. It was like she had just been waiting to have permission to cry.

"I don't know what to do," Astrid continued weakly. She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I try to be patient, I try to talk to him about it, but he just pushes me away. All he does is work and work and give orders, and _work_… he won't give himself even a _second_ to think about anything else."

Heather sighed. "It's his way of coping with all of it," she said. "Astrid, look at me."

Astrid pulled out of the hug and sniffled loudly, looking at her friend.

"Hiccup loves you so, so much," Heather told her. "I know he does, because I've seen it for years. I don't think even _he_ knows how much he's in love with you," she smiled, and Astrid gave a teary laugh. "That's why I _know_ that you can get through to him. He needs you right now, more than ever. And you need him. If you pry a little harder, those guarded walls will break. I am sure of it."

Astrid nodded, her crying finally calming to sniffles. She laughed weakly and laid down on her back. "I'm sorry," she laughed at herself.

"This is why I'm here," Heather smiled, lying down next to her. "It was pretty unbelievable when we got the news," she confessed.

"It had gotten too dangerous," Astrid explained. "We'd become a target. Grimmel singled out Toothless and was directly threatening him. He wanted him dead. Not caged or captured. Dead."

"It probably was the right thing to do then," Heather said. "It's a lot of drastic changes, but I think you guys can do it," she said positively.

Astrid grinned. "Thanks, Heather," she said. "For everything."

* * *

Dagur followed Hiccup through the village, listening to him explain the building plans and details for the new construction. But his attention was more focused on the young man's demeanor and appearance.

The Berk Chief had changed a ton since the last time Dagur saw him. He looked older, more experienced, and more like a leader. But he also carried himself differently, like he was holding a great burden on his shoulders. The heavy rain cloud of sadness that seemed to blanket the village loomed directly over the Chief's head. And his eyes. The light in his eyes was gone.

Dagur knew how much Hiccup cared about his dragon. He had learned that lesson the hard way. A few years ago, Toothless had been hit with a dragon root arrow, and Dagur had tried to help by giving the dragon an antidote. The Night Fury did not react well to the medicine, and Dagur had received all of Hiccup's rage. Quite an intimidating thing, despite the Dragon Rider's puny build. Hiccup could be really scary when he was mad.

Lesson learned. Never touch Hiccup's dragon.

Whatever that special bond was between Hiccup and Toothless, it was what gave Hiccup his fire. Now, the man looked completely burnt out.

"What happened?" Dagur asked suddenly, interrupting Hiccup's rant.

"What?"

Dagur stopped walking outside the half-built Great Hall, and Hiccup stopped with him. "I just don't understand what happened," Dagur repeated. "Why did they leave?"

If it was possible, Hiccup's eyes became stormier than they already were. "It was too dangerous for them to stay," he answered coldly.

"When has it _not_ been dangerous?" Dagur pushed. "I mean they're _dragons_. You've been facing enemies of dragons for the past six years, so why all of a sudden did it become too much for you to handle? I mean you had a _Night Fury_ as an _Alpha,_ how could anything be _more_ dangerous when – "

"He met a Light Fury, she brought him to the Hidden World, and he needs to stay where he's safe," Hiccup stated abruptly. He had balled his fists, so tight that his knuckles were white. His jaw clenched, and he turned away.

"A... _Light_ Fury?" Dagur asked, raising his eyebrows.

Hiccup didn't respond, but just glared at the ground.

"Look, Hiccup," Dagur said. "Whatever happened, it's in the past now. A lot of things are changing, I get that. But as my great Uncle Haggard used to say, 'In times of great change, it's the _people_ who stay the same.'" He paused. Hiccup didn't look up. "But if you lose the _people_," Dagur continued, "then you're dealing with the changes on your own, brother. And that can turn you into an evil maniac with killing obsessions and anger issues. Trust me, _I_ know."

Hiccup still didn't respond, but he had unclenched his fists. His shoulders slumped, and he turned his head back towards him slightly.

"Dagur!"

Tuffnut was running towards them from the Great Hall with a grin. "You. Have got. To see this!" The young Viking huffed, placing a friendly hand on Dagur's shoulder. He noticed Hiccup and moved to put both hands on his shoulders. "You hanging out with my man, here?" He asked, shaking the Chief. "Having some – _nice_, brotherly time together?" Tuff wrapped Hiccup into a playful headlock. "That's cool," he continued, as Hiccup squirmed, "As the best friend of the Chief, I'd say it is _bro-tastic_." Hiccup managed to pull himself out of the headlock and looked at Tuff skeptically.

"Please tell me you didn't destroy another construction site?" Hiccup asked.

"Hey don't worry, Chief," Tuff grinned wickedly. "It's way better than that!" He put an arm around Dagur again. "There are _yak chops_ involved," he said secretly to Dagur through a half-closed mouth.

Dagur's face lit up excitedly. "Sorry brother! Gotta cut our conversation short! Better not keep those yak chops waiting!" He laughed his loud signature laugh, before following Tuffnut down the path to the Great Hall.

* * *

**Reviews are always welcome! Tell me what you think!**

**Also, shameless plug: If you have not read my Post-Hidden World one-shots, "Please Save my Heart," please do so! I promise it is worth the read!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, the kid has suffocated long enough, let's break him out of the box and get him breathing again. This is just sort of a really depressing situation in general… Sorry. I tried to lighten up in this chapter. It's not completely hopeless, right?**

* * *

Hiccup stood at the top of the grassy hillside, looking out over the horizon. His arms were crossed loosely over his stomach, and he stared ahead, lost in deep thought.

Astrid walked up next to him and stood about an arms-length away. She crossed her arms as well and looked out at the sky, mirroring her betrothed.

There was a moment of silence.

"Do y– "

"_Don't_ say it."

More silence. Astrid turned her head to look at Hiccup. He heaved a deep sigh.

"I'm not…" he began slowly. "… _treating_ you – fairly – in all of this," he squinted down at the ground. "I'm…"

He seemed to choke on his words.

Astrid turned her body to face him. "Hiccup," she said softly. She swallowed. "I can't… _read_ you, anymore. I don't know what you're _thinking,_ anymore. And I can't take it," her throat clogged with tears. "I _need_ you, right now. I'm _worried_ about you. And I can't help you, if you don't let me _see_ what is going on. I just – "

"I'm sorry," he finally said. He looked up at her, and she could see the tears falling down his cheeks. "I'm so sorry," he breathed. He let out a shuttering breath, and then he _looked _at her – really _looked_ at her – for the first time in a week.

Astrid let out a sob so unexpectedly that she surprised herself. She was so overwhelmed by the depth of emotion that came over his face – it was like her heart had forgotten how much she loved him. As a wave of relief rushed through her, she suddenly found herself wrapped in his arms, and she gripped him tightly as she cried.

"I'm sorry," Hiccup murmured into her ear. "I love you, I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay," she laugh-sobbed as she dug her face into his neck. "Oh my gods," she was crying and laughing and so full of relief that she couldn't control whether it was laughs or tears that came out of her. "I love you. That was so scary, don't _ever_ shut me out like that again."

"Never again," he murmured. He held her face in his soft hands and pressed his forehead against hers. "I promise. It won't happen ever again."

He kissed her deeply and thoroughly, with so much emotion that it knocked her breathless. Astrid was shaking in his arms.

Hiccup pulled away and gave her a hint of a smile. It wasn't a real smile, but she caught a glimpse of something that flickered in his eyes. Astrid laughed again. A laugh of real joy.

His lips pulled up in the corners a bit more and he ran his fingers through her hair. "I am sorry for everything," he said again. "And I am so, _so_ grateful that you are here. That I still have you," he rubbed his thumb against her cheek. "Thor knows I don't deserve it."

Astrid reached up to put her hand over his. "_You_ deserve everything in the world," she whispered back. "And I am going to make sure that one day you know that."

* * *

Dagur and Heather were sitting outdoors with the rest of the gang, at a table that had recently been constructed to go inside the Great Hall. They chilled in the sun as Tuffnut and Snotlout were having a very heated arm-wrestling contest.

"Tuff! Tuff! Tuff! Tuff!" Ruffnut was rooting loudly for her brother.

"Come on Snotlout!" Fishlegs cheered encouragingly.

Heather rolled her eyes at their antics, and then noticed Hiccup and Astrid walking towards them hand in hand, looking much more at ease than when she and Dagur had first arrived at New Berk. She turned to look at her brother, and the Berserker siblings exchanged a silent conversation.

_You talked to him?_ Heather raised an eyebrow at Dagur.

_Of course I talked to him!_ Dagur looked back at her smugly. _I assume you talked to her._

_Duh_, she answered.

Snotlout forced Tuffnut's arm down to the table.

"Yes!" Fishlegs exclaimed.

"Aw man!" Ruffnut groaned. She pounded Tuffnut on the head and he fell underneath the bench.

"_That's_ right!" Snotlout bragged. "Who's the champ? I am," he kissed his biceps. "No one can beat these babies!"

Hiccup and Astrid reached the group and sat down next to Heather and Dagur.

"Brother!" Dagur exclaimed. He held up his arm. "You wanna have a go at it? I promise I'll go easy on you!" He gave Hiccup a toothy grin.

"No way," he waved the offer. "Astrid can play for me," he suggested with a small smirk. "That way I can beat everyone vicariously."

Astrid grinned at Dagur and held up her arm to him as a challenge.

"I'm not afraid of Astrid," Snotlout insisted.

"Okay," Astrid moved her arm to face him. "Let's go for it."

"Uhhh…" Snotlout hesitated. "I, uh, I have to beat Fishface first!"

Fishlegs sat down across from Snotlout to accept the challenge.

Everyone cheered for their preferred candidate, and the two Vikings wrestled ferociously.

Then Fishlegs slammed Snotlout's arm onto the table.

"What!"

"Fishlegs!"

"When did you get strong?!"

"Oh man!" Dagur exclaimed in excitement. "Oh I have got to get in on this one!" He moved to sit across from Fishlegs and held up his arm to wrestle.

The group cheered again as the two men fought for victory.

Fishlegs pushed Dagur's arm down.

There was half a second of dumbfounded silence, and then Hiccup let out a loud burst of laughter. He quickly covered his mouth in surprise as the glorious sound echoed through the air.

Everyone turned to look at him in shock.

Then suddenly, everyone was roaring with laughter, cracking up until they were all red in the face, happy tears streaming down their cheeks.

Because despite everything, they were still friends. They still had each other. And they were going to be okay.

* * *

**Cheesy ending I know… I went uber romantic with Hiccstrid and surprised myself! Did you like it? Let me know in the reviews! And thanks for reading!**

**(One more plug: please check out my collection of Post-HTTYD3 one-shots, "Please Save my Heart." It's like therapy!)**


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